


i know i'm not alone

by montecarlos



Category: Motorcycling RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Guardian Angels, Angel Wings, Angst, Canon Compliant, Drama, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Guardian-Ward Relationship, M/M, Motorcycles, set during 2005 250cc era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21809836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/montecarlos/pseuds/montecarlos
Summary: “Oh god, Alberto is going to kill me, oh god, oh god,” Jorge murmurs almost to himself, brushing back Dani’s hair with his hand.Dani wants nothing more than to lean into the warm touch, but his body suddenly feels heavier than it did a few moments ago. He can feel his eyes slowly slide shut, exhaustion and pain threatening to take over - before he forces them open, only to see a glowing golden halo above Jorge’s head.
Relationships: Dani Pedrosa/Casey Stoner (one-sided), Jorge Lorenzo/Dani Pedrosa
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20
Collections: Motorsport Secret Santa 2019





	i know i'm not alone

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is another 10k monster, but you should have seen the fic it was originally. This is set within 2003-2005, from Dani's 125cc championship to his second 250cc title. It's mostly canon-compliant: both injuries are completely real, Jorge putting his arm around Dani in Italy in their first 250cc podium? That's totally real too, as is the major indifference between them after that. But Jorge Lorenzo being an angel? Well, that's questionable at best. Title is from I'm Not Alone by Alan Walker. A big thank you to L for cheerleading and for coming up with the idea of the halo. 
> 
> To my best friend, my bro, the Yorg to my Vale - I think you probably knew this was coming, but this fic is for you. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was an honour to write for you again, even if this one nearly kicked my ass. Thank you for all your support and your endless friendship, I love you.

  
“I think you are finally ready, nephilim,” Golden eyes fix upon him as he kneels down into the dirt, his wings spread out along the wide plains of his back. “The boy I have chosen for you is destined for great things, but he craves danger.”  
  
“What kind of danger?”  
  
“He rides motorbikes,”  
  
He resists the urge to roll his eyes. “You’re giving me some stupid kid who likes riding dirt bikes in his spare time? Sounds like a challenge,”  
  
“He’s been riding bikes since he was four,” The raised eyebrow is ignored. “But it’s clear that he is going to go far in his chosen career, but he needs your guidance and protection now he’s older,”  
  
A sharp nod of the head. “So are you going to tell me about the human I’m supposed to protect?”  
  
“You’ll like this one, Jorge,” The smile on Livio’s face grows wider.

* * *

  
Livio’s right. Jorge does like the human he’s assigned to - he looks unassuming upon first glance, all dark hair and dark eyes, and he looks _tiny_ in his motorcycle leathers, younger than his thirteen years of age. But what he lacks in height, Dani Pedrosa makes up for in heart and passion. Jorge finds he can’t keep his eyes off the smaller boy who seems to make the motorbike underneath him appear as though it’s an extension of his own body.  
  
But it’s not all easy. Motorcycles are dangerous for anyone, but in particular for someone as small as Dani, it makes him even more prone to injuries. In the beginning, it’s easy enough to siphon the pain away from a sprained ankle, or seal up an inflamed tendon before Dani can notice that something is wrong. But it all changes when Dani turns eighteen.

* * *

  
Dani can feel the pain radiating from his ankles, his fists twisting into the grass as he shifts slightly, trying to pull himself upright. It’s no use - he tumbles back to the ground, a grunt of pain tearing from his lips. He tries to move his right ankle again and a wave of white-hot pain tears through him, his vision blackening around the edges.  
  
He swears under his breath, blinking twice in an effort to clear his blurring vision, only to see someone kneeling in front of him. He knows those lime green and red overalls well, and bites back a sigh as the figure pulls off his helmet. The youthful face of Jorge Lorenzo slides into view, but he’s wearing an expression of panic, not his usual cocky smile.  
  
“Oh god, Alberto is going to kill me, oh god, oh god,” Jorge murmurs almost to himself, brushing back Dani’s hair with his hand.  
  
Dani wants nothing more than to lean into the warm touch, but his body suddenly feels heavier than it did a few moments ago. He can feel his eyes slowly slide shut, exhaustion and pain threatening to take over - before he forces them open, only to see a glowing golden halo above Jorge’s head.  
  
Everything goes black after that moment, but the image of the halo above Jorge Lorenzo’s head follows him into his dreams.

* * *

  
“You healed him?” Dani awakens to Alberto’s low voice hissing in almost a whisper. “Why on earth did you heal him?”  
  
“Isn’t that my job?” The other voice sounds familiar to Dani - it’s younger, almost sulky but he can’t quite place it. “I’m his guardian after all,”  
  
_Guardian?_ Dani thinks through his drugged haze. He can barely move, there’s the familiar burn of an IV somewhere in the back of his hand and the sheets are scratchy against his skin.  
  
“Jorge,” Alberto’s voice sounds strange, almost father-like. “Dani knew his ankles were broken. He’s going to wake up and wonder why they aren’t broken anymore. That’s not your job, Livio is going to go mad when he finds out-”  
  
“Then what am I supposed to do?” Jorge snarls quietly, his eyes flickering between gold and green. “Just sit back and let him hurt himself?”  
  
“When it puts your true identity in danger, yes. He can’t know who you truly are, Jorge,” Alberto murmurs, folding his arms.  
  
Dani frowns. _Is he dreaming? What are they talking about? Why is Jorge hiding who he truly is?_  
  
“You told me I had to protect him. Isn’t healing his injuries part of that?” Jorge narrows his eyes as he glances over to the unmoving figure on the bed.  
  
“You protect him within reason, Jorge. He’s going to wake up and find his ankles have magically repaired themselves,”  
  
“Well, it’s not like I can break them again, can I?” Dani can practically hear the smirk in Jorge’s voice. “I guess you’ll have to persuade him that he didn’t really break them,”  
  
Dani manages to prise open his eyes, a pained sigh pushing from between his lips as he takes in the scene before him - Alberto is standing by his bedside, wearing the neutral expression that has taken up residency on his face for the past few months - but Dani’s eyes flicker over to the teenager hovering by the door. Jorge’s dark green eyes meet his own for a moment, before he slips out of the door.  
  
“What happened?” Dani mutters, his voice cracking and dry.  
  
Alberto immediately grabs a glass of water from the bedside table, holding it up to his protege’s mouth. Dani takes a few small sips before his head sinks back against the pillow. “What is the damage?”  
  
Alberto worries his lip as he busies himself with the glass. “You got lucky this time. No fractures, just a nasty sprain, that’s all,”  
  
“I felt the break, Alberto, in both ankles. I couldn’t get up,” Dani frowns. “What’s going on?”  
  
“You sprained both your ankles, Dani,” Alberto’s voice is controlled and calm - a little too calm for Dani’s liking - “They brought you here for a quick check up, to check for breaks,”  
  
“I couldn’t stand up,” Dani says quietly, his dark eyes locking on his manager. “I’ve broken bones before, Alberto. I know they were both broken - then Jorge appeared. He said you were going to kill him,”  
  
Alberto’s mask drops ever so slightly. “You were in pain, Dani- I’m sure that he meant something completely different-”  
  
“He had a halo,” Dani blurts out. “Like an angel would have, above his head,”  
  
Alberto bursts out laughing. “A halo? Jorge Lorenzo, an angel? You were imagining things, Dani. Jorge is no more of an angel than I am,”  
  
“But I know what I saw-”  
  
“You were mistaken, Dani,” Alberto says once more, and this time, it’s in the tone that Dani knows means there will be no negotiation. Dani sinks back into the pillows, sighing heavily. He knows what he saw - he’s certain that he saw a halo floating above Jorge’s head, as certain as he is that he felt the bones in both of his ankles snap.  
  
He knows something isn’t quite right.  
  
The feeling only intensifies when the doctors come and examine him, their faces twisting with confusion as they glance over x-rays of Dani’s seemingly healed bones. “Your talus bone was definitely fractured - but it’s like it’s almost-”  
  
“Almost what?”  
  
“Almost regrown,” The doctor says, shaking her head. “It’s a miracle you weren’t injured,”  
  
“Yeah,” Dani says. “A miracle,”  
  
_Or divine intervention_ , he thinks.  
  
He’ll never forget that way that his fellow 125cc riders stare at him like he’s grown an extra limb when he turns on the grid for qualifying. They too saw him in the dirt, clutching his legs in pain, watched the marshalls carry him away on a stretcher. Dani will also never forget Jorge Lorenzo’s expression when he ends up sticking his Honda on pole, nor the one that curls over his face when he wins the race.  
  
He swears that he sees Jorge’s eyes flash gold for a moment as they focus on him.

* * *

  
“What the fuck happened?” Casey asks as they knock back shots together. They’re at some after-race party, but there’s only a handful of 125cc riders present - Dani himself didn’t want to come, but Casey _insisted_. Dani winces at the bitter taste of the liquor hitting the back of his throat as he wipes his mouth.  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“You looked like you really hurt yourself,” Casey drawls as his hand closes around another shot glass. “You couldn’t walk, even Lorenzo was scared for you,”  
  
Dani grabs his own shot and downs it in one. “I don’t know. I passed out and I woke up and the doctors told me that there was minimal damage,” He can feel the alcohol slowly taking effect, his thoughts slowly becoming more fuzzy as he thinks back to the moment he looked up and saw the shining halo above Jorge’s head.  
  
Casey takes another shot, wincing as he knocks it back. “We were sure you broke at least one. You couldn’t walk, Dani. They had to carry you back to medical,”  
  
“I swear I saw a halo above Jorge’s head-” The words slip from Dani’s mouth before he can stop them, and he watches the frown suddenly spread over Casey’s features.  
  
“A halo? Like what an angel has? I think Lorenzo is the furthest thing from an angel, Dani,”  
  
Dani laughs along with the younger teenager, but the thought sticks in his mind. It seems incredulous. Jorge is angry, loud, impatient - the exact opposite of what Dani always thought an angel should be. He remembers reading the Bible back when he was a child - remembers the images of the angels, all golden hair and fluffy white wings - and his thoughts flicker back to Jorge. Jorge Lorenzo is the furthest thing from an angel, he decides as he downs another shot.  
  
Casey’s hand curls around his own, and Dani suddenly finds himself staring into bright blue eyes.  
  
“Casey-”  
  
“Dani-” Casey murmurs, his tone thick as his thumb slowly ghosts over Dani’s hand. He tugs the shorter man closer, his gaze unwavering as he leans in and seals their lips together.  
  
Dani never expected his first kiss to be like this. It’s sloppy, messy and he can feel Casey’s stubble rubbing against his chin, his hands gripping Dani’s shirt. Casey’s tongue gently traces over his braces and Dani _jolts_.  
  
“Are you okay?” Casey asks, and Dani finds himself staring into deep blue eyes full of worry. Casey’s arms have moved to curl around his shoulders, his hand slowly brushing through Dani’s hair. “I’m sorry-”  
  
Dani shakes his head, suddenly overwhelmed by Casey’s touch, leaning into the calloused hand of his fellow rival. “Don’t be,”  
  
His lips find Casey’s once more, but this time it’s Dani who initiates the kiss. He doesn’t notice the glowing gold eyes fixed on him, narrowed as they survey the pair.

* * *

  
Jorge downs a shot as he tries to push away the image of Dani locked in an embrace with Casey, wincing as the bitter alcohol brushes over his tongue. He could only watch as Dani tugs Casey away, out of view of everyone else. He thinks of dark eyes, of the way that Dani’s tongue had pushed out from between his lips to run over the lips that Casey had just kissed - he’s about to grab another shot from the bar when a familiar voice cuts through the thumping bass.  
  
“Why are you drinking alcohol when you know that it doesn’t affect you?”  
  
Alberto leans against the bar, his golden eyes flashing over the four empty glasses by Jorge’s elbow.  
  
“Come to yell at me again for doing my job?” Jorge drawls out, grabbing the shot and downing it anyway. The alcohol might have no effect on him, but it serves the purpose to annoy Alberto, and so it’s a good enough reason to keep doing it. “Or did you forget the conversation we made when you first assigned Dani to me. You said I had to protect him,”  
  
“Not by healing injuries that were intended to happen, Jorge,” Alberto snarls. “If you heal Dani again, I’ll be forced to assign another angel to him,”  
  
Jorge squeezes the shot glass with enough force to break it. “You wouldn’t,”  
  
“I will if it’s necessary,”  
  
“You told me to protect him,” Jorge spits, the blood dripping down from his fingers. “What is the point of me being his guardian if I can’t help him and protect him?”  
  
“We can’t reveal your true identity. It would compromise everything. So no more healing broken bones, you can’t be seen to be interfering too much,” Alberto says.  
  
Jorge opens his mouth to argue but Alberto glares at him with golden eyes. “And I think that you should keep your distance a little more,”  
  
“Yeah, well, you don’t have to tell me twice. He and Stoner looked pretty close just now,” Jorge grabs another shot and downs it.

However, as he slams the glass back down on the bar, he realises that Alberto has vanished, leaving him alone. He almost wishes that the alcohol affected him - then he could forget about the way that Dani looked at Casey.  
  
Jorge clenches his bloodied fist as he glances at his reflection in the mirrored surface of the bar, at the shadow of his wings and for the first time in his life, he curses their existence. He wishes that he could get drunk, the way that Dani and Casey have, that he could kiss Dani -  
  
He downs another shot of vodka as he pushes the thought away.  
  
The journey back to the paddock should be easy enough, he thinks, as he sticks his hands in his pockets, allowing the cool night air to sink over his bones. However, the silence of the night is broken by a quiet sob. Jorge stiffens at the sound - he knows it well, he’s been trained to recognise it.  
  
Dani sits on the floor next to the bin in a darkened alleyway, his face hidden in the crux of his knees, his small shoulders shaking slightly.  
  
_You should keep your distance a little more._ Alberto’s words echo through his head for a moment, but he knows that he can’t ignore Dani - the human he’s tasked to protect.  
  
“Dani?” He feels his chest clench at the flinch that ripples over the small shoulders. “Are you alright?”  
  
“Go away Lorenzo,” Dani slurs, his voice muffled by his knees. “Just leave me here,”  
  
“What happened?”  
  
“I told you to leave me alone,” Dani snaps, pulling his head from between his legs and Jorge is confronted with a bruise that spreads across the older teenager’s jawline. It looks fresh, and Jorge immediately feels his blood boil.  
  
“What did Stoner do to you?” Jorge asks as he drops to his knees, trying to keep his voice steady as he surveys the rest of Dani, looking for any visible injuries.  
  
Dani bristles at the question. “He didn’t do anything to me-”  
  
“Don’t lie to me, Dani. I saw you with him,” Jorge’s voice is soft but firm. “What did Stoner do to you?”  
  
“He has a boyfriend that he didn't mention - he just turned up and-” Dani averts his gaze, his attention taken up by his shoes. “I- he didn’t do anything to do, not like _that_ , he just roughed me up a bit-”  
  
“I’ll kill him,” The words slip out of Jorge’s mouth before he can stop them, his hand moving to cup at the bruise gently. Dani’s gaze wrenches upwards and glassy dark brown eyes lock with green-hazel. He leans into the touch, a small smile flickering over his lips as Jorge fights not to stroke the soft, warm skin beneath his fingertips. Jorge can feel his heart slam against his ribcage, his mouth turning dry as his fingers move to brush against Dani’s curls. They’re softer than he expected. He wants nothing more than to twist his fingers into the curls and press his lips against Dani’s as Casey had done, so carefree -  
  
“What happened to you?” Dani’s voice cuts through the silence and Jorge follows his gaze down to the dried blood that covers his fingers and his wrist.  
  
“It’s nothing,” Jorge bats away the question. “I just cut myself on a broken glass, it’s fine,”  
  
“It doesn’t look like nothing,” Dani says, his eyes flickering from the drying blood to Jorge’s face. “Why are you here?”  
  
“Someone needs to look after you, I guess,”  
  
“You’re an angel,” Dani slurs, his bruised face leaning back into Jorge’s touch, a small slip of a smile appearing on his face as his eyes slide shut. “ _My_ angel,”  
  
“Yeah, your angel,” Jorge repeats under his breath as Dani goes lax against him, his fingers still slowly stroking the younger teenager’s hair. He can feel his heart flutter, but he chooses to ignore what it all means. 

Jorge isn't sure how Alberto knows but he's certain that the older man has something to do with Dani moving up to 250cc, leaving him in 125cc. He only watch as Dani becomes the World Champion in the new category, ignoring the flicker of _something_ in his chest at the sight of the tiny human he protects standing atop the podium, wearing the blue t-shirt emblazoned with the words _campeón._

* * *

.  
Jorge can’t help but smirk when he finally makes the step into 250cc, and sets out to completely ignore Alberto’s warning. Isn’t the point of a guardian to stay by the chosen human and protect him? How can he protect Dani from the dangers of his bike if he’s languishing in a different category? Thankfully, Dani doesn’t seem to need much assistance or protection - as defending champion, he rules the roost in the 250cc paddock and many of the younger riders look up to him with a certain sense of admiration. Jorge struggles in the first few races to adjust to the heavier bike, watching Dani and Casey duel with an intensity that he has never seen before.  
  
It’s not until Italy that he finally manages to stand on top of the podium with Dani. The disappointment of finishing second fades away as he watches the wide smile on his human’s face, the shorter rider bouncing up and down and taking in the atmosphere of the crowd. His eyes never leave Dani, not even when the national anthem of Spain plays out across the Mugello stands, watching the human raise his head to the heavens, his eyes slipping shut as he savours the moment. Jorge barely has time to acknowledge the shudder of his heart as the champagne bottle is pressed into his hands. The cava stings his eyes, but seeing Dani’s smile through the sticky liquid makes everything worth it. As Dani shepherds him and Alex back onto the podium for the photo, a ceremony that he is used to, Jorge can’t help himself from wrapping his arm around Dani’s shoulder, pulling the human closer to him.  
  
He sees Alberto’s eyes glowing gold at the side of him, watching every single touch and Jorge pulls Dani closer, smiling at the confused expression that brushes against his human’s lips.  
  
He isn’t surprised when Alberto turns up at his motorhome, eyes all dark gold and a face like thunder. “You’re too close to him. You know that relationships between guardians and their humans are forbidden,”  
  
Jorge bristles at the accusation. “I know that. Am I not allowed to touch him now?”  
  
“It wasn’t a friendly touch, Jorge. I saw the way you were looking at him,”  
  
“It’s nothing,” Jorge hisses quietly. “Haven’t you got your own human to be protecting? Instead of constantly making sure that I’m doing my job properly,”  
  
“You’re playing with fire, Lorenzo,” Alberto taunts, using the last name that had been selected for Jorge when he became a guardian. “And you’ll get burned,”  
  
Jorge’s eyes flicker gold, then green. “Is that a threat?”  
  
“You’ve never protected a human before, so this time I’ll let your arrogance slide. It is forbidden to abuse your position. Your role is to protect Daniel, not to develop feelings for him,”  
  
Jorge feels his cheeks redden at Alberto’s words. “You have no right to tell me how to do my duty,”  
  
“You’re young,” Alberto snaps, his eyes dark with an emotion that Jorge cannot place. “And foolish, but you will learn,”  
  
Jorge opens his mouth to reply, but Alberto disappears again before he can form any words. Cursing under his breath, he slumps back into the couch cushions, allowing his eyes to fall shut. And if his thoughts are constantly of Dani Pedrosa, well, nobody needs to know that.

* * *

  
“You have to be careful around Lorenzo,” Alberto’s voice sounds out from behind Dani.  
  
The Spaniard resists the urge to sigh, as he tries to focus on taping his fingers down. He’s not feeling particularly confident, sure, this is Catalunya, his home turf and he’s on pole position - but he can’t stop thinking about how aggressive and dominant Jorge was all throughout practise and during qualifying yesterday. He knows that there’s a target on his back, but Alberto certainly isn’t helping matters. The older man has been hovering over Dani all day, fussing over him as he tries to get into the zone. He had gone on and on about media duties as Dani was sliding on his leathers.  
  
“Can you stop with this whole pep talk stuff?” Dani mutters as he spins around, the chest protector still clutched in his hand.“I know that Lorenzo will be aggressive, he always has been,”  
  
“That’s not what I mean, Daniel,” Alberto says quietly. “You shouldn’t get too close to him,”  
  
“It’s nothing like that with Jorge and I, we’re just friends - rivals on track,” Dani slides the chest protection underneath his leathers, zipping up the blue material.  
  
“As long as it stays that way. You need to focus and win this title one more time, then Honda will have to take notice won’t they?”  
  
Dani sighs heavily, he’s growing tired of the constant MotoGP talk from his manager. He wants to move up to the next level, it’s everyone’s dream in the paddock to be riding amongst the greatest motorcyclists on the planet - but he feels like he’s no longer in control of anything. It’s Alberto organising all the talks with Honda, promoting his protege in any way he can. Dani knows what Alberto is like, he’s worked with him since Dani was a child, but it’s getting a little too much. “Can you just give me some alone time to prepare before the race?”  
  
“But we need to go over the briefing procedures-”  
  
“Alberto,” Dani says, pinching his nose between his forefinger and thumb, he can sense the beginnings of a headache. “Just give me five minutes,”  
  
Alberto leaves the motorhome with a huff as Dani collapses down into the chair. He knows why his manager is behaving this way - he wants Dani to be successful, and Dani wants that too - but he feels like he’s trapped with no escape. He stares at himself in the mirror for what feels like an eternity. He sees a two time champion, but he also sees a coward.  
  
Pushing the feelings away, he snatches up his gloves and helmet and takes a deep breath. All emotion must be locked away. It’s time to race.

* * *

  
Jorge is _furious_. He’s furious at himself, because it’s his fault in a way - he’s the one who overcooked the corner and took himself and Alex out of the race, but the fury at himself soon is redirected as he watches a pitboard put out onto the circuit for all to see, not just any pitboard, but Dani’s pitboard.  
  
_Lorenz KO._  
  
He has no doubt that Alberto is behind this. He says nothing as he wrenches his helmet off, trying not to glance across towards the pitwall where he knows that Alberto is watching Dani lead the way at the front of the race, as he has done so many times before.Jorge cannot watch anymore, he knows he should - as Dani’s guardian, he knows that he needs to be on hand to make sure that his human is safe - but in that moment, he can’t do anything but storm off back to his motorhome, his chest twisting with hurt and anguish. He unfurls his wings for the first time in ages, thankful that his motorhome is large enough to accommodate his impressive wingspan.  
  
He’s not sure how long he’s holed up in there for, long enough for the sun to disappear beneath the skyline. Jorge knows that Dani has won the race, that he shared the podium with Casey and Andrea, and that Casey was a little too handsy. A harsh incessant knocking rips through the silence, and Jorge prepares to ignore whoever it is - he’s not interested in what they have to say.  
  
“Jorge, open the door,”  
  
He jolts. His wings fold themselves away. He knows that voice, the one that he cannot ignore. Before he can stop himself, Jorge pushes himself up from the couch he’s been sitting on for the past few hours, wrenching the door open with a little more force than is necessary. Dani stands in the doorway, still clothed in his blue leathers, the yellow Dunlop winner’s cap still jammed on his head. He looks awkward, almost skittish - his teeth caught between his lip as he surveys Jorge with those dark brown eyes.  
  
“Can I come in please?” Dani’s tone is calm and Jorge can’t stop himself from stepping aside and allowing the smaller human inside. Dani hovers in the middle of what is deemed the living area, wringing his hands. “I wanted to apologise,”  
  
“For what?” Jorge asks, crossing his arms as he leans against the kitchen counter. “You didn’t make me crash,”  
  
“But I’m sure you saw my pitboard-”  
  
Jorge bites down on the inside of his cheek. “Yeah, when I was walking back to the pits,”  
  
“I’m so sorry, Jorge. I had no idea that Alberto was going to do that-” Dani says, his dark eyes almost sorrowful. “I don’t know why he wants to make us fight so much,”  
_  
_ _I have an idea_ , Jorge wants to say, but he holds back. “I don’t know either,”  
  
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry for everything,” Dani holds Jorge’s gaze. “I was looking forward to another great fight with you,”  
  
“Yeah, well, I’m sure we will have a great fight in Assen,” Jorge waves his hand as though nothing matters, but Dani levels him a gaze that seems to pierce through his mask, his hand moving slowly to curl over Jorge’s wrist.  
  
“Are you scared of me?”  
  
“No,” Jorge scoffs, trying to ignore the warmth that spreads through his chest at Dani’s touch. “Why would I be scared of _you_?”  
  
“You won’t even look at me, Jorge. What’s wrong? What are you afraid of?”  
  
“I’m not scared of anything,”  
  
Jorge can feel Dani’s fingers tighten on his wrist. “Just look at me!” The words are almost snarled out, and his dark green eyes finally meet the almost obsidian ones of his human. Dani stares him down, his hand still warm against Jorge’s skin. “What is going on with you? I thought we were friends,”  
  
“Dani, I-”  
  
“Is this about the pitboard? Because I said I was sorry,”  
  
“It’s not about that, Dani. We can’t be friends, that’s all,” Jorge says as he wrenches his arm away, watching Dani deflate in front of his very eyes, the smaller boy looking _tinier_ if that were even possible.  
  
Thin shoulders still clothed in blue leather slump and Dani looks pained. “Why not? Is it something Alberto said?”  
  
Jorge wants to tell him the truth, that he’s his guardian angel and that a relationship between the pair of them is not permitted, but he _can’t_ . He hates lying to Dani’s face, but he feeds him the lines that he’s practised time and time again. “There’s no room for friendship on the track,”  
  
“You didn’t think that when I crashed in Phillip Island two years ago,” Dani snaps. “You stopped to see if I was okay,”  
  
“Back then, I wasn’t fighting for a championship,” Jorge says quietly. “My priorities have changed,”  
  
“I felt something in Italy, when you put your arm around me,” Dani blurts out, blush suddenly staining his cheeks. “And I think that you feel it too,”  
  
Jorge shakes his head. This wasn’t supposed to happen - it’s one thing to piss off Alberto but he can’t give in whatever this thing is between himself and Dani. “It’s all in your head, Pedrosa,”  
  
But Jorge’s answer only serves to spur on the shorter human. Dani cocks his head ever so slightly. “Really?” He moves closer to Jorge, his eyes locking with dark green ones. Jorge can feel his heart slamming against his chest, unable to break his gaze. “Prove it,”  
  
“Dani, I-” His words die on his lips as Dani leans in, closing the gap between the two of them, pressing his lips against Jorge’s.  
  
Jorge feels his mind go blank, his attention solely focused on how warm and soft Dani’s mouth is against his own. The kiss is hesitant and gentle at first, as though Dani is testing the waters, but it deepens as Dani runs his tongue over Jorge’s lips. Jorge gasps at the contact and Dani’s warm tongue slips into his mouth. He tastes like coffee, Jorge notes, as Dani’s hand moves to slowly fist into the hair at the nape of Jorge’s neck, almost drinking him in, his body flush against Dani’s. It’s only when Dani tugs a little too hard, that the realisation of what they are doing suddenly hits Jorge and he wrenches his lips away, ignoring the small sigh of disappointment that pulls itself from between Dani’s swollen lips.  
  
“We shouldn’t do this, we can’t do this-” Jorge whispers. He blinks a few times, knowing that his eyes are flickering between gold and green as he fights to regain control over his emotions.  
  
“Why can’t we?” Dani says quietly, as a soft smile plays upon his lips, it’s something that Jorge had never seen on Dani. “Nobody’s stopping us,”  
  
_You have no idea_ , Jorge thinks. He blinks again, trying to bring his emotions into check, knowing that his eyes are still flashing gold. “We can’t do this, Dani,”  
  
The smile drops from Dani’s lips, still swollen and shiny. “At least tell me why,”  
  
“It wouldn’t be right-” The words fall from his mouth before he can stop them.  
  
Dani’s eyes immediately darken. “I think I get it,” His tone is clipped and short, his gaze almost disappointed as he turns to leave. Jorge feels a surge of panic tug deep in his chest and finds himself reaching out to grab hold of Dani’s wrist.  
  
“Dani, wait-”  
  
“Don’t touch me, Lorenzo,” Dani hisses, wrenching his hand away as he turns glassy, dark eyes towards the angel.  
  
Jorge watches him leave with a heavy heart as he tells himself it’s for the best, it’s his job to protect his human, not to fall in love with him.  
  
But there’s a tiny thought that creeps into the back of his mind, that he somehow wishes that the responsibility of Dani was not his own, that he could love the human unconditionally in his own way without any limits. He tries to push it to one side but then his thoughts turn to glassy eyes filled with unshed tears and he hates himself in that moment.

* * *

  
It’s difficult to avoid Dani in the next two races. They have to share the podium in Assen - Dani is beaten to the top spot by Sebastian, with Jorge joining them with a respectable P3. Dani doesn’t glance up at Jorge the entire time they’re on the podium together. Jorge pretends that the rejection doesn’t hurt as he watches Dani focus on his attention solely on Sebastian, soaking the Argentine with the cava. Their gazes meet for a moment, before Dani looks away.  
  
Silverstone is no better - the conditions are unpredictable as always, and the rain that England is so well known for, blankets the track during practise and qualifying. There’s a few times that Jorge’s heart threatens to leap out of his chest as the bike underneath Dani threatens to buckle, the tyre struggling for grip but the Spaniard manages to keep it under control and Jorge slumps in relief as Dani makes his way back to the pits in one piece. The race itself is no better, they both finish in the points - Jorge manages eighth place. It’s not the worse result he could have achieved but he knows that he is distracted. He manages to placate his mechanics with some stories about how the bike wasn’t quite right in the changing conditions before he disappears back to his motorhome, his gaze lingering on Dani’s for a moment before he passes it.

* * *

  
“You let Lorenzo distract you,” Alberto’s voice holds a shred of disappointment as it always does - he’s never happy with anything Dani does. The only time that Dani is sure that he saw the older man display any emotion was when he scooped his first 250cc title, but that was soon forgotten in favour of looking forward to the future.  
  
Dani resists the urge to sigh as he pulls out his chest protector and the shoulder pads from underneath his leathers. “Fourth was all I could manage, I’m still leading the championship,”  
  
“But Stoner got the better of you today, Daniel,” Alberto says, his arms folded and his face sullen. “You can’t let Lorenzo do this to you, do you want him to ruin everything you worked hard for?”  
  
“Why are you so obsessed with Jorge?” Dani finally snaps, unable to hold his tongue any longer. “He’s no more of a threat to me than Casey is. He hasn’t even won a race yet,”  
  
“You overestimate him,” Dani says, pushing a hand through his hair.  
  
“And you underestimate him,” Alberto fires back, watching his protege carefully. “You need to let go of this preconception that all the Spanish riders are your friends. There is no room for friends in this business,”  
  
“You have no problems with me being friendly with Casey or Dovi, why are you so against me being friends with Jorge?”  
  
“You shouldn’t be friends with any of them, Daniel. They’re not going to help you get into MotoGP, are they?”  
  
Dani decides it’s best not to respond. He drowns out the sound of Alberto as his thoughts turn back to the Spanish race, and how warm Jorge’s lips had felt against his own, how the kiss was unlike any other he had before -  
  
“Daniel, are you even listening to me?” Alberto’s voice cuts through his thoughts.

* * *

  
Jorge snaps down his visor and takes a deep breath as the lights begin to flash red. He can feel the slight shake in his leg as the lights dim, and the roar of motorcycle engines suddenly cuts through the air. He immediately spots Dani up ahead of him, he’s managed to cut up the inside of Casey, snatching the lead away. Jorge settles down into a rhythm over the first three opening laps, sticking close to the back of Casey’s Aprilia and forcing himself not to look towards the blue streak that is Dani Pedrosa as he slowly begins to build a sizable gap to himself and Casey. However, as they cross the line for the fourth time, Casey sees an opportunity and seizes it -  
  
He hits Dani. Jorge can only watch in slow-motion as Dani is thrown from the bike, landing on the hard concrete with a hard thump. Jorge swears he can hear the bone break - watches as Dani wrenches off his helmet, his face pale, his arm holding his shoulder. 

_Right clavicle fracture. 6-8 weeks physical healing time._ _  
_ _  
_ Jorge knows that he has failed as he watches Casey cut into Dani’s points difference in his absence, and even when Dani returns, his collarbone still isn’t right. He ends up losing the championship - _  
_ _  
_ “Dani!” He wrenches himself upright, the name of his human cutting through the evening air as the duvet pools around him.  
  
Jorge pants heavily, pushing a shaking head through his sweat-covered hair. _It was just a dream_ , he tells himself, but angel dreams are no ordinary dreams - they’re prophetic. Jorge knows that he should let it happen, but Dani has worked so hard all season to ensure that Honda _have_ to listen - so he decides that he will do everything in his power to stop Casey from destroying Dani’s hard work.  
  
However, his plan to protect Dani disappears during the opening laps as he finds himself directly behind Dani and fighting to fend off constant attacks from Casey. He’s forced to take evasive action, forcing his own bike off the apex to cover Dani’s back wheel, but Casey keeps pressing, forcing Jorge closer and closer to Dani’s bike, until they cross the line for the fourth lap. Jorge feels his bike forced forward in the rush down to the first corner, tangling up against Dani’s own - panic rolls through his chest as their bikes connect, but it’s replaced by a dull pain as Jorge finds himself in the gravel. He can only watch on in frustration as Casey and Dani sweep past, still entangled in a battle before he makes his way back to his garage, dejected and frustrated. His mood only grows worse as he’s told that the contact between himself and Dani has damaged the exhaust pipe, bending the metal out of shape.  
  
Despite the damage, Dani fights. Jorge can only watch as the small human fights off wave after wave of pressure to nurse his Honda home in first position. The smile on Dani’s face is worth the pain that still radiates through Jorge’s own shoulder and the inevitable lecture that he will receive from Alberto. Jorge just wants to see Dani _happy_.  
  
However, despite winning the race and snatching back the lead from Casey, Dani is not happy. Jorge is halfway through icing his sore shoulder when he hears the hurried knock at the door, almost frenzied and angry.  
  
“Lorenzo! I know you’re in there!”  
  
Jorge opens the door and Dani slips through the gap, his eyes are darker than usual but they soften ever so slightly at the sight of Jorge’s bare chest and the icepack he’s holding onto his shoulder. “What were you playing at?”  
  
“I didn’t mean to hit you!” Jorge fires back. “I was just trying to stop Stoner from driving us both off the circuit,”  
  
“Why do you suddenly care about me? You weren’t too bothered about my feelings in Catalunya,”  
  
“Dani, I-”  
  
“No, you don’t get to make excuses to spare my feelings,” Dani hisses, shaking his head. “I get it, you don’t want to be with me, but you have no right to treat me like I’m nothing and then break my bike in the next race and pretend like it is Casey’s fault. It was you who almost ruined both of our races!”  
  
“Dani, I never meant to hit you, I swear. I want to apologise to you-”  
  
“Like it’s fine if you don’t like me, but at least, I thought we could be civil with one another. You just think about yourself all the time,” Dani says, shaking his head.  
  
“I was protecting you!” The words finally slip free from Jorge’s mouth.  
  
Dani looks incredulous. “Protecting me? Protecting me from what?”  
  
Jorge knows he’s in too deep now so he takes a deep breath. “I’ve always protected you, ever since you were thirteen,”  
  
“Jorge, what are you talking about? How have you protected me?”  
  
“I’m an angel,”  
  
“W-what?” Dani murmurs out. “What do you mean?”  
  
“I’m an angel,” Jorge says again, feeling his heart slamming against his ribcage as his gaze locks on Dani. “I’m your guardian angel, I look after and protect you. I have done since I was thirteen,”  
  
“What are you talking about? You’re not an angel, you’re a person-” Dani stammers, watching Jorge’s eyes flicker from green to gold. “You can’t be-”  
  
Jorge lets his eyes lock with Dani’s as he pulls the icepack away from his shoulder, slowly unfurling his wings from his back, only to hear a shocked gasp cut through the silence. His halo too has flickered into life.  
  
“Oh god-” Dani begins, his face almost white. “Oh god,” He takes a step back, shaking his head. “No, no, no, you can’t be-”  
  
“Dani, please-” Jorge begins, but the human is already backing out of Jorge’s motorhome with tears threatening to fall down his pale cheeks. “Dani, wait-”  
  
But it’s too late. Dani shakes his head one last time, muttering something under his breath before he disappears, leaving Jorge still standing in his motorhome.  
  
The angel catches a glimpse of himself, of the bruises on his skin from the crash that he could have healed, his outstretched feathered wings and the glowing halo above his head, a constant reminder of his status. He sighs heavily, resisting the urge to punch the mirror before him as he thinks about Dani’s tear-filled eyes staring at him, knowing that they will haunt him all night.

* * *

  
Dani keeps his distance in Brno, despite the pair of them sharing the podium with Casey. Jorge watches brown eyes linger on his back, searching for the wings he knows are hidden somewhere, his gaze moving to where the halo should be. 

* * *

  
Jorge dreams of Dani in Japan. He dreams of Dani being thrown from the bike, of the bones cracking as the small human hits the tarmac, dreams of blood on gravel and ugly, deep, black stitches cutting into tanned skin -  
  
He wakes up, covered in sweat. But this time, he knows that there’s nothing he can do - the weather is good, there’s nobody involved in the accident this time and Dani is still pretending that he doesn’t exist. The rejection stings, but Jorge understands on some level why the Spaniard is behaving the way he is. He arrives at the circuit with a certain sense of trepidation that follows him throughout the first practise. Nothing happens and Jorge is lulled into a sense of relief and comfort, that is shattered in the second practise session.  
  
Dani’s bike seizes up underneath him and Jorge pinpoints the exact moment when the human is catapulted from the safety of his machine, hitting his shoulder against the hard ground. Jorge can tell from the way that Dani holds his right shoulder, his fingers fisted into his leathers that he’s in some considerable pain, but he holds on and manages to get himself back to the pits.  
  
Jorge knows that he should leave Dani alone, but he can’t help himself. It’s easy enough to persuade Honda not to send him back out in the practise session, they’ve already collected all the data they need and the bike is working like a dream. The next challenge is managing to slip into Dani’s motorhome. Jorge knows Alberto too well - he won’t want his protege anywhere near the medical centre where anyone from any team could overhear - the older man is an angel that certainly possesses the ruthless streak that is reminiscent of archangels. Jorge finds himself on the doorstep of Dani’s motorhome and knocks once.  
  
“Come in,” Dani’s voice is calm, but Jorge can hear the little nuance of pain that Dani is fighting to hide.  
  
He steps inside, closing the door behind him silently.  
  
“Alberto, I think that this is worse than we expected-” Dani begins, only to freeze when his eyes catch sight of Jorge standing in front of him. Jorge takes in the sight before him - Dani is shirtless, holding an icepack to his right shoulder as he sits on the couch - and Jorge would have laughed at the role-reversal if Dani didn’t look so panicked. “What are you doing here?”  
  
“You’re hurt,” Jorge says quietly as he inches closer. “I can help you,”  
  
Dani shakes his head, shrinking away from the angel. “Don’t touch me,”  
  
Jorge feels the ache in his chest at Dani’s panic. “I’m not going to hurt you, Dani. I could never hurt you-”  
  
“Why are you here?” Dani says quietly. “Why do you want to help me?”  
  
“Because it’s my job,” Jorge watches Dani stiffen at his comment. “Well, it’s my job to protect you - but obviously, I’ve not done a great job of it,”  
  
Silence stretches out as dark brown eyes meet gold-green ones.  
  
“Why is it you?” Dani finally says, his voice quiet and slightly unsteady. “I don’t understand-”  
  
“I was given you to protect,” Jorge explains. “When you were thirteen and I was told that I needed to make sure that you were okay and that you were important-”  
  
Dani’s eyes widen. “Wait, so you did heal me back when I broke my ankles back in 125cc, didn’t you?”  
  
Jorge hesitates for a moment. “Yeah, yeah I did,”  
  
“And I saw a halo above your head then, I thought I was seeing things...Alberto told me that I was seeing things-” He pauses. “So you’re really an angel?”  
  
Jorge nods.  
  
Dani slumps against the couch, the ice-pack still held loosely between his fingers. “I thought that it was weird that you just appeared out of nowhere, and you always seemed to be with me from then onwards. Does anyone else have a guardian angel?”  
  
“Some people do, and some don’t,”  
  
“So I’m quite lucky then,” Dani smiles. He shifts slightly and a pained gasp pulls itself from his mouth before he can stop it. Jorge moves forward without realising and Dani’s wide brown eyes settle on him.  
  
“I can heal you,” Jorge’s voice is soft. “It’s definitely broken - but I can take away the pain for you, if you’ll trust me,”  
  
Dani glances up, dark brown eyes locking on the angel in front of him, his lip caught between his teeth as he contemplates his decision. The silence settles over the pair for a moment before Dani slowly lowers the ice-pack from his shoulder. “I think I can. Trust you, I mean,”  
  
Jorge steps forward, unfurling his wings as he lowers himself into the soft cushions of the couch, his hand slowly moving towards Dani’s injured shoulder. “Relax,” He commands the smaller human, and watches with a smile as Dani reluctantly leans back into the cushions, Jorge’s hand clasping around his shoulder.  
  
“You ready?” Jorge asks, his eyes boring into Dani’s.  
  
Dani nods.  
  
He suddenly feels a surge of warm energy pulse through his shoulder and he gasps, feeling the bone knit itself back together. He glances at Jorge, finding his eyes are completely gold and his face is a mask of pure concentration, the wings sitting neatly against his back. The sensation only lasts for a few moments, before Jorge pulls his hand away, panting as Dani lays slumped in the cushions, the pain strangely absent.  
  
“Does it hurt you to heal me?” Dani asks after a moment of silence.  
  
Jorge shakes his head. “No, not at all,” He tucks away his shaking hand, not trusting himself to brush his fingers up against Dani’s tanned skin all on display for him.  
  
“I’m sorry for running away last time,” Dani whispers. “I was just scared-”  
  
Jorge chuckles. “It’s okay, I think I would be scared if one of my rivals turned out to be an angel,”  
  
Dani’s fingers gently probe his own shoulder, kneading over muscular, tanned skin and Jorge has to exercise all the self-control he has. “I still can’t believe that you’re an angel, like with wings and everything,” He casts his gaze over the wings still tucked up neatly behind Jorge.  
  
“Well, the wings get in the way sometimes, but they feed into my power, hence why I have to get them out to aid in healing,”  
  
“Really?” Dani raises an eyebrow.  
  
Jorge nods.  
  
“Can I touch them?” Dani asks, his voice hesitant. Jorge nods again and exhales softly as a small cold hand brushes through his feathers. The touch is like Dani’s voice - it’s hesitant and gentle, almost not daring to brush through the feathers. “They’re like bird wings,” Dani says, his tone is one of wonder as he slowly moves his hand through the feathers, which are much softer than he imagined.  
  
Jorge can feel the stirring of something inside his chest and in his inner thighs at Dani’s touch, and he has to bite down on his lip to stop himself practically purring at the human. Dani doesn’t realise the effect he is having - there’s a small smile on his lips as he continues to brush his fingers gently through the feathers. The warmth increases and Jorge leans in without realising, his eyes still glowing gold.  
  
“Dani, I-” He begins, but the words soon die away as he leans in to kiss the human he’s been tasked to protect.  
  
This kiss is different. This one feels more charged. Dani tastes of motor oil, sweat and Red Bull, his naked chest heaving underneath Jorge’s steady hands as their lips connect together -  
  
“What on earth is happening here?” A familiar voice cuts through the silence and intimacy that has enveloped the pair, and Jorge wrenches his head away from Dani reluctantly to find himself staring into the angry eyes of Alberto Puig.  
  
“What’s going on?”

* * *

  
Jorge ends up suspended from the Malaysian Grand Prix. Dani has a feeling that Alberto is behind the decision, but he doesn’t press his manager further. The older man is already in a foul mood after Hiroshi snatched the pole that was _so rightfully Dani’s_ away - so Dani manages to slip out, unnoticed after the debrief. He finds himself hovering outside the Fortuna Honda garage, hoping to see a glimpse of the angel he can’t stop thinking about.  
  
Dani ends up crashing out of the race on the opening lap, whilst Casey manages to cut back into his lead in the championship with a stunning drive to take the top step. Dani feels the tug of his newly-healed shoulder as he watches Casey holding his trophy aloft, something settling in the bottom of his chest that he cannot place.  
  
“I’m disappointed,” Alberto’s speech is hardly a surprise to Dani who stays silent and allows the manager to rant and rave. “You let Lorenzo get to you, you let him jeopardise your championship-”  
  
“He helped me!” Dani snarls back, his patience wearing thin. “But you know that already, don’t you?” He had worked it out that night, when Alberto barely flinched at the sight of Jorge’s wings that his manager wasn’t human.  
  
“He doesn’t protect you properly, Daniel. He’s not good at his job-”  
  
“Where is he, Alberto? What have you done with him?”  
  
A touch of a smile glosses over Alberto’s lips. “You don’t need to know that, Daniel,”  
  
Dani tries to ignore the dull sense of panic that surges through his chest at his manager’s words but they echo through his thoughts for the rest of the night as he dreams of Jorge in chains, with his wings cut off, blood staining the floor -  
  
He wakes up with tears running down his cheeks.

* * *

  
Jorge appears in the Qatar rider’s debrief as though nothing has happened, but Dani can see through the facade. He can see the dark circles underneath Jorge’s eyes and the bruise that is barely hidden by the collar of his leathers. Dark green eyes meet brown across the room and Jorge slides into the seat nearest to the door, next to Casey who barely acknowledges the younger rider. Dani barely focuses on what is being said - he’s usually the one that pays the most attention - but he can’t stop looking at Jorge. He’s thankful when the meeting finally comes to an end, however, Jorge seems to disappear without a trace, his seat already empty.  
  
Dani tries to focus on the weekend ahead - but it’s to no avail. Jorge claims pole position on the Saturday afternoon as Dani manages to scrape his way onto the second row of the grid. He watches Jorge paste on a fake smile as he stands in between Alex and Casey, posing for the cameras with the ever present media-ready smile on his lips. Dani’s struggles continue in the race as Dovi manages to get past him in the opening stages, leaving him in the position he started at the beginning of the race. Jorge, however, is disposed of by Casey who stands on the top podium, beaming widely as he’s soaked in champagne.  
  
“I’m disappointed,” Alberto folds his arms as he surveys his protege. “You could have won that race and then you’d have the championship in the bag,”  
  
Dani wants to argue back but he thinks better of it, not wanting to push his manager. He remains silent, surveying his boots as Alberto continues to rant. “You’re going to throw everything we worked towards for him aren’t you? He doesn’t care about you, Daniel. You’re nothing but a job to him - and one that he can’t even do properly. You’ve got injured twice now under his care-”  
  
“It’s not his fault,” Dani snaps, his eyes finally locking on his manager’s. “It’s not his fault that I got injured, he can’t control everything that happens to me-”  
  
“He’s nothing but trouble, Daniel,” Alberto fires back, his eyes darker than usual. “He’s not the right angel to protect you,”  
  
“What would you know? He’s healed me twice before-”  
  
“And he’s been punished for that,” There’s a smirk on the corner of Alberto’s lips. “What? You think that he could just heal you whenever you want without any repercussions?”  
  
Dani feels his stomach drop at Alberto’s statement. “What? Punished?”  
  
“Why do you think that he wasn’t in Malaysia, Daniel? He had to go and face the consequences for healing his human and making himself known to you -” The smile drops from his face as he watches Dani scramble to his feet. “Where are you going?”  
  
“I need to see him,” Dani says, and his tone leaves no room for argument.  
  
He can hear Alberto’s demands for him to come back immediately, but they’re drowned out as he walks away from the motorhome.

* * *

  
“Lorenzo! Open up!” Dani slams his fist against the door of Jorge’s motorhome again, only to be met with silence. “Don’t ignore me!” He calls out, again slamming his hand up against the door in frustration. “I know you’re in there-”  
  
Suddenly, the door swings open and Dani feels himself be wrenched inside. “You took your time,” He mutters, but the words die on his lips as he takes in the sight of Jorge glaring at him with golden eyes. He looks worse than he did in the briefing, the bruises continuing all down his neck where they had been previously hidden by his leathers earlier in the briefing. Dani takes in the dark circles under his eyes, before he stops on the wings, one is slightly bent and some of the feathers are missing. “What happened to you?”  
  
Jorge laughs. “I think you know the answer to that question, Dani,”  
  
“Alberto said you were punished, what did you do to you?”  
  
“Nothing I didn’t deserve. I shouldn’t have healed you, it’s against the rules,” Jorge says quietly.  
  
“How can you protect me if you can’t heal my injuries?”  
  
“I’m not allowed to heal major injuries, or bring you back from the dead. I’m not allowed to interfere with what is supposed to happen - you were supposed to fracture your shoulder and lose the championship this year-” Jorge pauses, his eyes locking with Dani’s. “I didn’t want to let that happen, I couldn’t let that happen to you,”  
  
“What did they do to you?”  
  
“Just roughed me up a little. Don’t worry, I’ve been through worse,” Jorge says. But the small smile that appears on his face is clearly a facade. “Just a few bruises here and there-” He stops as Dani’s hand moves to brush over one of his wings. “Don’t-”  
  
“And you’re sure that’s the only reason?”  
  
Jorge closes his eyes. “You were never supposed to know who I truly am, Dani. The Council want to wipe your memory and assign you another angel. They don’t trust me to care for you,”  
  
“No,” Dani shakes his head. “No, please, no. I’ll tell them that I don’t want another angel, that I would never tell anyone,”  
  
“Dani,” Jorge’s hands move to slowly cup Dani’s face as tenderly as possible. “They would never listen to you. But it’s okay, you’ll be okay, I’m sure the new angel will look after you,”  
  
“I don’t want another angel, I want _you_ ,”  
  
“Dani-”  
  
“I think I’m falling in love with you,” Dani blurts out before he can stop himself. “And I think you have feelings for me too,”  
  
“Dani, stop,” Jorge shakes his head as his hands slip away from Dani’s face. “We can’t do this. It’s bad enough that you know what I am and that I healed you twice without permission. Relationships with the human we protect are strictly forbidden-”  
  
“Nobody needs to know,” Dani whispers as he moves closer.  
  
“Dani, we can’t do this-”  
  
“Because you don’t want to or because of some stupid angel code?”  
  
“Angels aren’t supposed to have feelings and certainly not for the humans that they’re supposed to protect. They’re already waiting for me to mess up again…if I admit that I love you, I would lose you for good,”  
  
“You wouldn’t lose me, Jorge-”  
  
“They would make you forget that I existed, Dani,” Jorge’s voice is low and sorrowful, his face a carefully constructed mask. “I can’t lose you, I’m sorry,”  
  
His thumb wipes away tears that Dani didn’t realise he was shedding. Dani pulls himself away from Jorge’s warm, comforting touch and leaves the motorhome. The tears continue to fall down his face as he manages to make it back to his own motorhome, but he doesn’t let go entirely until he’s sitting against the back of the door, the sobs building in his throat.

* * *

  
Dani tries to focus on the upcoming race in Australia. He ends up staying in Singapore, not waiting to deal with the 14 hour flight from Doha or the massive time difference that would inevitably plague him if he were to return to Barcelona. But the seven hour flight to Melbourne is swallowed up by thoughts of Jorge, all broken and battered. He dreams of Jorge having the wings ripped from his body and there’s a few times that Dani wakes up during the journey with Jorge’s name threatening to fall from his lips.  
  
Qualifying is no better. Dani can only scrape sixth, whilst Casey and Jorge fight it out for the pole position. He thinks he half deserves the verbal beating that Alberto dishes out after the debrief in his motorhome, his eyes flashing gold and then dark brown. He remains silent for once, and retires to his room to lick his wounds.  
  
He has to forget Jorge. He’s spilled his feelings and dropped his heart, and it was all for nothing. Dani understands, at least on some level - Jorge is an angel, it’s part of his identity - but it still _stings_. He tries to put the angel behind him as he turns his attention to the race ahead.  
  


* * *

  
He’s won his second title. He stands on the top step of the podium, beaming widely as his team celebrate underneath him, their cheers cutting through the roar of the crowd. His gaze suddenly moves to the person occupying the third step of the podium - he’s still taller than Dani, even stood on the lower step - but he’s grinning widely at the shorter human. Dani feels as though the whole world stops as the Spanish national anthem washes over him and the tears threaten to spill down his cheeks. The trophy feels like a deadweight in between his numb fingers, as does the champagne bottle that is pressed into his hand.  
  
He’s a three time world champion. He’s done it again. He’s proved everybody wrong who said his first championship was nothing but a fluke.  
  
The cava hits him in the face, and he blinks twice at the sticky, warm liquid soaking his skin as the gold eyes of Jorge Lorenzo meet his own, a small smile present on the angel’s lips.  
  
Dani isn’t sure how he manages to get through all the media duties after he finally leaves the podium with his trophy tucked under his arm. It’s easy enough to paste on a smile for the celebrations with his team who snap what feels like thousands of photographs, the champagne flows freely. Dani is thankful to slope off back to his motorhome after the celebrations are over, the cheers still ringing in his ears as he slumps against the back of the door.  
  
“Dani, you’re here-” A familiar voice cuts through the silence and Dani’s eyes snap open.  
  
Jorge stands in front of him, his wings tucked neatly down the fold of his back, his halo glowing gently above his head.  
  
“What are you doing here?” Dani asks softly. “I thought-”  
  
Jorge moves closer. “I was wrong, Dani. I don’t want to lose you but-” He worries his lip. “I don’t want to push you away and watch you fall in love with some other human who doesn’t deserve you-”  
  
Dani remains silent as Jorge gently cups his face once more, gazing into the gold-green eyes of his angel. “And I am sorry. I was stupid for pushing you away and hurting you. I just don’t want them to hurt you because I can’t stop myself from caring about you and loving you-”  
  
“What?”  
  
“I- I love you, Dani Pedrosa,”  
  
Dani answers Jorge with his lips, his hands fisting into Jorge’s wings as he pulls the angel closer. Jorge responds with enthusiasm, his lips moving against Dani’s slowly, as though he’s committing every sensation to memory. Dani’s hand tightens around the feathers and Jorge gasps into the human’s mouth, their kiss growing deeper and deeper -  
  
“I love you too,” Dani whispers against Jorge’s lips as he pulls away, tugging the angel towards his bedroom.  
  


* * *

  
Jorge finally feels fulfilled as he watches Dani’s chest slowly drift up and down as he breathes, his head pillowed on Jorge’s chest. His wings are curled around himself and his human, protecting them from any danger. Jorge doesn’t know what the future holds, but in that moment, he doesn’t care. He allows his hand to brush gently through Dani’s dark hair, smiling as the human gently lets out a sigh of contentment.  
  
“I’m proud of you,” Jorge whispers, as he gently presses a kiss against Dani’s forehead, his halo illuminating the human’s beautiful sleeping features.

He smiles before he pulls his wings in more tightly as Dani sleeps on unaware.


End file.
